First Look: Iglu & Hartly
Iglu & Hartly are just a blog hype explosion waiting to happen. In fact, it’s a bit ridiculous how little coverage (read: no coverage) the LA-based quartet has received around the blogs, considering they had all kinds of people buzzing here after SXSW. So much so, that word on the street has it they’ve locked down a ridiculous contract from a major label here (who will remain unnamed for the time being) that’s fully down to sink a shit-ton of money into the band and currently has them in the studio recording with sound engineer Mark Needham of the Killers and Bloc Party fame. All this for a band whose sound has to be described as extremely polarizing at best. That said, they’ve got a hell of a single in “Violent & Young” and a label determined to make superstars out of them, but hey - this is still only a few degrees of separation (or, uh, no degrees of separation) from rap-rock, and hasn’t Linkin Park pretty much ruined that for everyone by now?
Like MGMT going through a Crazytown phase, there’s no doubt Iglu & Hartly have a unique sound, but there’s also no doubt the whole hip-hop element and nasally hipster flow is off-putting as shit upon the first few listens. Plus, they’re so fucking LA it makes me want to vomit all over my party pix, but god damn these kids know how to write a hook, and if the chorus of “Violent & Young” doesn’t make a believer out of you then you need to get your ears checked. One of the best debut singles of the year? I can’t really believe I’m saying this, but yeah, pretty much.
MP3: “Violent & Young” - Iglu & Hartly